2013-01-19 - Splitting at the Seams: Alex's Fallout
It's very late by the time Alex makes it back to the mansion. He has been talking to SHIELD and the FBI for the past few hours, debriefing them on what he knew about the situation involving Kensington. For now, the girl was in custody. He walks into his room and pulls off his headgear along with his jacket. Closing the door, he turns around and pauses, seeing Fantomex. The young man looked pretty rough. His uniform was torn in a few places and on top of all that? There was a part of him that knew he went to a dark place in that battle, and now that it's over, he felt bad about it. Fantomex has that white sleeping bag out by Alex's bed with a pillow this time. He is currently making use of the foot of the bed in his white silk PJs (don't you dare make fun of them) as he sits there cross-legged, working on a crossword puzzle of all things. He glances up only his blue eyes really revealed in that white mask, and instead of speaking in his typical French accent, he says in a British one, "Shitty day luv?" Yep, some areas even guys say that to other guys in Britain and lowlands of Scotland. But then he is back to his typical annoying French accented, "I took the liberty of pissing off McCoy again by finding the pain killers by myself," and he hooks a thumb over his shoulder to your nightstand. There is a glass of water there too. "Laura still hasn't returned, I'll find her tomorrow, so don't worry about it. Just give her some time to lick her wounds. You and she can have a lovely and touching heart-to-heart when she gets back." Apparently Fantomex has been keeping abreast of what has been going on, even if he wasn't home when it originally all went down. "Oh, and Mother says hi. She wants you to visit soon." It was the first time Fantomex has mentioned the woman since the two of you dropped her off as his estate. Alex Summers opens his mouth to comment on the silk PJs, but decides against it. He sits down on his bed and nods to Fantomex. He wasn't really all that surprised to see him here. "I've had better days, yeah." He pops one of the painkillers and chases it with a sip of water. "Laura always goes to ground when she completely looses it. I'm going to recommend she sees Jean to talk through her issues. And she's not doing any more field work until it's resolved. I have enough to worry about without having to babysit one of my team because she can't fight without going batshit crazy." He sounds more than a little angry, but in his defense, he is still pretty stressed out. He runs a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Visiting Mother sounds like fun. I could use a vacation. But not until this mess is over with." Another pause. "Not that I don't mind..but what are you doing here anyways?" "We all lose it Alex, especially when you grow up like X-23." Fantomex uses her codename on purpose in that instance. But he does not push further on it, "Fine, fine...I'll let Jean know." He will try to get you to loosen up on Laura later. He nods at your agreement to visit Mother, "We can always just steal a few hours to visit her, it does not take long with E.V.A." Not when she can do low atmosphere travel. Still, it is the last question that gives him pause. He tilts his head slightly, then closes the crossword puzzle book and clips the pen to it. He moves to stand up smoothly. "I thought that was what a friend should do. I admit, I am not clear on the responsibilities or roles of friends, but I am attempting to learn." His feet are quiet on the floor. "You should grab a shower and get some sleep while you can Alex." Alex shrugs slightly. "I understand her situation, but you just can't go around murdering people. You just can't!" His voice raises slightly towards the end, but he stops himself and goes to his dresser to get his clothes and walks into his bathroom, shutting the door behind him. It's about 45 minutes before Alex emerges from the bathroom. He's freshly showered and in his sleeping gear. His hair is still a little damp when he climbs into bed. "Thanks, Jean-Phillipe. You're a good friend, man. I don't know if I say that enough, but I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here." Because of the day's activities, it's not long before he falls asleep. Thanks to the pain killier. Jean-Phillipe is surprised from the outburst, but is quiet. He sits cross-legged this time on his sleeping bag, waiting for Alex to reemerge. It is almost as if he is meditating. When Alex does, he nods, "No problem." He wonders if he is doing worse damage than help sometimes though, if Alex would have been more his golden self if not for him showing up in his life to show him how dark one can be while still laughing. Still, he finally climbs into his sleeping bag and lays his head down, closing his eyes. He falls asleep as well when he hears Alex's steady breathing. With the stress that Alex is undergoing, nightmares are to be expected. The smoke is choking, and there are the sounds of dying, but he's running on. He has to get to Kenzie! She's in danger! But Alex never seems to reach her, robots and mercenaries constantly getting in his way, crowding him. And it's as if he can hear Deathstroke laughing and calling him a coward from the smoke. But suddenly, the dream abruptly ends. Cluster cannot enter someone else's dream, but she can create a new one for them. From a battlefield, Alex suddenly finds himself not wearing his uniform, but a stylish suit as he stands atop an insanely tall roof. The tower is lit up in the distance and beautiful music is playing in the background. There is fencing around the roof to prevent anyone from accidentally falling over and a pleasant, cool wind tugs at Alex's blonde hair. It only takes a few moments before a soft, feminine French voice says behind him, "Alex, it's going to be alright." It is Cluster's voice, she didn't leave Alex behind after all. Havok was fighting for Kensington again. Only this time, he couldn't save her. With Deathstroke's laughter ringing in his ears, he briefly regrets his decision not to kill the man when he had the upper hand. But that was his jealously talking and he had to be better than that. He owed it to Scott and the Professor to be better than that. Then, it abruptly ends and he finds himself dressed differently and standing on a building. When he hears the soft voice behind him, he turns to see the female that looks a little bit like Fantomex. There is a genuine smile. "Well, if it isn't my dream girl. I was wondering if I'd ever see you again, or if our last meeting was just a one-time fluke." He pauses. "Then again, you could just be the painkillers I took earlier before I fell asleep." Hey, at least he's not speaking French this time! "You needed me," Cluster says softly, not wearing the trenchcoat like she was last time, and of course no weapons. She only has on her white base and black geometric accented body suit, the black leather gauntlets that go up past her elbows, and the black leather boots that have protective caps over her knees. She walks toward Alex then, "He hasn't realized yet consciously." That was a little vague. But then Cluster is moving to give Alex a warm hug, not the least bit shy. "Oh, Alex. You are going to be fine. You are the children's light, you are /his/ light too. You are stronger than you realize, so there is no need to punish yourself." And she just holds Alex if he permits for that bit of time. Alex Summers does allow her to hug him. His shoulders slump a little during as he relaxes, the embrace somehow not feeling awkward at all. "I don't understand what you mean by that. But I'll admit to not understanding most of what you say cryptically." He sighs. "Against all the odds, I managed to achieve my goal. I saved her. But why does the victory seem hollow?" He shakes his head. "You keep telling me that..um.." He realizes he doesn't know what to call her. But he steps away from her hug and turns to look out over the skyline. "The kids mean a lot to me. Not just because I'm a teacher, but I want to provide them with a stable environment to live and grow, not just as mutants but as people. Someplace they can be free to be themselves and not feel guilty about who they are. My brother and I didn't have that. I'm not punishing myself..my issues are personal mostly. I'm not used to leaning on other people." The woman steps back when Alex moves to pull away, "Remember, Cluster." She seems to smile beneath the mask, not seeming offended as she listens. She nods then, "Your way works." She moves toward the low fencing, placing her hands atop it as she leans forward into the wind. Her head tilts back, her long black hair flickering behind her a bit from the pony tail it is pulled into. "Others have noticed the change you make in others." Her blue eyes close, and she seems to smile beneath her white and black mask. "It is perhaps selfish of me, to be happy that you may need me sometimes though. You are strong Alex, I never doubted that. Yet, I want you to depend on me, so I can see you again." Her blue eyes slowly open once more as she peers back behind her at you. "You draw people to you Alex, because they see the goodness around you. And that does not mean you have to be perfect all the time. It just means, that is what your core is made up of." Cluster seems to honestly believe this. Alex Summers smiles a little as he leans an elbow against the rail to look at her. "You know, I don't why you wear that mask. You're gorgeous underneath it. I'd like to see all of your face at once." He shakes his head. That wasn't really what he meant to say. "On one level, I am happy. For the first time, I feel loved by those around me." He closes his eyes for a moment. "I can't tell you how that fact alone gets me through my day." He opens his eyes again. "On the other hand, I am conflicted by feelings for someone that I'm not supposed to have. We are so much alike, though." He smirks. "I am far from perfect. But I let my anger get out of hand and I hurt a lot of people. I didn't kill them, mind you, but I feel that I could have been more merciful. The thing that scares me the most, is that on some base, primal level; I liked it. A lot." He looks at her again. "Cluster, Fantomex tells me that I should be myself. That there's nothing wrong with being...soft-hearted. If that's true, then why do people like Slade think I'm weak?" Cluster looks almost shy for a few moments at those sweet words. She listens to your other words though, and reaches out. One leather clad finger touching your cheek. "Because, he does not know how to be gentle anymore, he lost that ability. It is an ability, I wonder how I can even understand myself at times, but I think you taught it to me." She then says even more gently, "We all have our fears and worries. Like my mask. If I take it off, there is nothing to defend me from the world. Surely it will attack me and cripple me. Not even my allies can see inside me, what is there will terrify them, horrify them." Her hand drops down, and her eyes look concerned. "Even you Alex. We are better, because of /you/. Even now, there is a difference in how I act and treat people then there was when I first came upon you. It is Slade's loss that he cannot understand, not yours." Alex Summers can't help but smile a little. "Cluster, you speak of me as if I'm this savior. Like I saved you from damnation. And if you're talking about Fantomex, he was fine before I ever met him. Within them, everyone has the capacity to love, for compassion. They just have to let it come out and not quench it. People like Slade have lived difficult lives, he's become jaded. Though I think I could stand to be a little tougher, I don't ever want to turn into a man like him." Cluster tilts her head a bit, "Haven't you? Saved him that is in a way?" She seems to weigh your words, leaning back away from the railing she hangs onto, arching her back as she looks toward the artificially brightened city sky. "What should I say, what should I remain silent on?" She seems to weigh this. She lets go of the railing and spins about, soon sitting upon the narrow railing as if it is nothing to be concerned about. She lifts one long leg and rests the ankle over her knee, black leather gloved hands resting upon her one knee, and the uplifted ankle, the look in her eyes thoughtful. "You do realize, you are Jean-Phillipe's first friend /ever/, oui?" Cluster tilts her head once more, black pony tail swaying as she does so when she peers at Alex. "How is that not impactful? You have accepted him as he has exposed little pieces of himself with patience and acceptance. You laugh at his jokes, and you support him in his decisions. You change his perspective. You have changed /our/ perspective. And if you can do that with a jaded adult, one that was trained to destroy everything you hold precious, what do you think you are doing for your students?" Alex Summers looks surprised at that. "I was his very first friend? Like ever? Are you serious, Cluster?" He can't believe that. The dude was older than he was and he had never made any friends in his life before meeting him. That was a huge responsibility. "I wasn't aware. I didn't know that..he's so charismatic though. He keeps everyone laughing all the time. I know he's a thief and I joke with him all the time about not trusting him, but I DO. I do trust him. I've trusted the man with my life on many occasions since he joined the X-Men." "We know," and Cluster chuckles softly, lightly beneath the mask, her head tilting back then. "You are different from those he has known in the past. You fascinate us." Cluster then hops off the railing and moves over to you, moving her arms to loosely wrap about your neck and atop your shoulders. She smiles beneath her mask. "He has trusted you with the knowledge of Mother, you are the only one other than us that know of her existence." Her blue eyes are even with your own. "Alex, even your brother has trusted you to save Kenzie and lead in the field over and over again. There is no higher power than self, so let go of your self-doubts and limitations. Realize, you are powerful, it is all about perspective." There is a slight pause then, before she says, "I only ask, you do not forget about me." Alex Summers blinks as it hits him like a bucket of cold water. "Actually, I didn't realize it. Scott didn't lecture me or anything. He just let me handle it. He didn't even insist on coming in the field." He scratches his head in confusion. "Cluster, that's never happened before. I'm used to working with Scott. Anticipating his orders to be more efficient in the field. I honestly just did what I thought he might do in a current situation." He shrugs. "Okay, maybe you have a point. Perhaps I should allow myself to feel good about what we accomplished." Cluster laughs softly, "Told you so." She then tightens her arms, hugging Alex again, her mask clad cheek pressing against his. She indulges in the action, as she has no idea how long it will be, if ever, she will be able to contact Alex again. Alex Summers returns the hug, actually liking the contact. "Okay, so maybe I should listen to you more. Still want to see what's under the mask though." He flirts a little..it was just his nature. "I'm curious. Can you only talk to me when I'm asleep? Do you actually exist somewhere and this is a mutant power? If so, can I meet you for real?" Cluster hugs a little more strongly, before she gently pulls back just enough to look into your face. Her blue eyes are a little sad. "I exist, but I am part of a whole. And for now, asleep is the most effective means." She then smiles beneath the mask, it reflecting in her eyes. "You are such a flirt. You should not make my heart pound so." Her eyes then reflect mischievousness. "The mask is not bad, it is sort of fun at times. It can add a little extra 'space', oui?" Now if that wasn't suggestive! Alex Summers raises his brows slightly. "You better watch that kind of talk, Cluster. You'll get my heart to pounding, too." He winks with a smile. "What does that mean, though, that you're part of a whole? Are you a facet of another's personality? If so, that's kind of weird..even for me." Leather bound fingers play with the edges of Alex's blonde hair at the back of his neck. Cluster appears thoughtful at the question. "Non. I am my own personality, my own identity. And yet, I am 'we', and in 'us'. I am one of 'three' within 'one'. We work together as a unit, and sometimes we fight. I gave up control willingly, and fight to protect the control of the one I support. I am forgotten, but I do not mind. It pleases me that just you know of me." She does look pleased within those light blue eyes. "To me, you are special. Independent existence never mattered to me till you. So I only need it when it comes to you," Cluster attempts to explain. "Even if these are all illusions and misdirections," a gloved hand moving to cup your cheek. "For this moment, it feels real." Alex Summers nods in agreement. "It does feel pretty real. You feel real, you smell real." In such close proximity, Alex's heartbeat increases..and then he is hit with a light bulb thought and pulls away. "Wait. Misdirection and Illusion. Those are Fantomex's powers. You look like him a little and your outfits are similar." His eyes widen. "You're part of a whole. You talk about Jean-Phillipe like you know him well. Who exactly are you Cluster? Are you some version of Jean-Phillipe?" A perfume she likes, and Cluster smiles beneath her mask when Alex notices. But when Alex pull's away, her eyes seem to close up. She lets you pull away without resistance. "I am Cluster," she says softly, but firmly. She wants to tell Alex, she wants to trust him. Her gloved hands rise and clasp over where her heart would about be. She looks down at them. The memories will not leave her alone, they will not permit her to remove her mask. "The past bounds me to inaction." She finally looks back up, her blue eyes pleading, "Alex.../s'il vous plait/," the tone so obviously matching the emotion reflected in her eyes. And then it shatters, leaving you floating in the darkness of sleep...in that state between wakefulness and sleep where you know you sleep, and yet you cannot quite wake up fully. Jean-Phillipe on the other hand holds a fist to his heart, and works to slow his breathing. It was like a sharp pain woke him up...how odd. His body does not feel damaged. His own blue eyes close once more, and he decides to enter a meditative state, which many may mistake as sleep from simple observation. Alex Summers grunts in his sleep until he wakes up. He sits up in bed and wipes his face with the palm of his hand. He looks over at the meditating Fantomex and suddenly chunks a pillow at him. "Hey, stop messing with me in my sleep!" Jean-Phillipe grunts at the pillow impact, jerked out of his meditative state. He moves to sit up, luckily the sleeping bag was left unzipped, and knocks the pillow away, "Que?" He sounds confused and looks over at Alex, "Que about sleep?" He yawns widely beneath his mask. "Why are you awake?" Alex Summers swings his legs over to the side of the bed and stares at Jean-Phillipe. "I dreamed about that girl again. Cluster. Level with me, dude. Friend to friend. Are you messing with me? Using the illusion and misdirection stuff that you do? Cause I totally almost kissed that chick just now and if she's actually you, that would have gone to a very weird place." He adds. "And I'm straight." "Hola!" Basically 'Whoa' in French. "I am not interested in men," and Fantomex says that whole-heartedly. He has both hands up, palms facing out, bare of gloves. He is appearing very surprised, "Non! I am not pranking you mon ami." Jean-Phillipe appears confused himself. "Cluster...it is a name, I am too familiar with. But I have not heard it associated with a female before. I am French, not gay. Contrary to popular belief, there is a difference," his tone mildly sarcastic there. Alex Summers shakes his head. "I'm not saying you're gay. But something weird /is/ going on. This lady knows me. She knows things about me and keeps telling me how much of a good friend I am to you. And that I should continue looking out for you. She even dresses like you." He pulls on his hair out of frustration. "I'd draw her if I had any artistic talent.." This is not exactly making Fantomex happy by far. "I...do not know." He weighs his options, debating what to share and what not to share. It is sorta creepy. He finally sighs dramatically. "I have multiple brains." What?! Alex Summers stops. He stops breathing for a couple seconds and remains motionless. "You..uh..what? Multiple brains? How many do you have? Where are they? Why isn't your head like, all deformed and stuff?" He looks at the man while squinting slightly, trying to see if there was something that he missed before. "One of your brains is talking to me in my sleep? And it's...a chick?" "To my knowledge, two, just like I have two nervous systems. E.V.A. is one of my nervous systems, and my secondary one has...severe limitations when we are seperated." Then Jean-Phillipe actually laughs, "I do not have both brains in my head, Alex." But the laughter subsides, "To my knowledge it is male and not a good conversationalist." It is his darker half. "Thus the confusion from me. Perhaps I should ask Mother about it." Alex Summers nods. "That might be a good idea, man. If she was around when they...uh..augmented you, she might know more about it. In the meantime, it's freaking me out a little. That woman is very..friendly. Likes to hug..very personable. You don't exactly strike me as the personable type." He waves his hand. "What I mean is, you're not a hugger. You know? Which makes this all the more confusing for me." "You are missing the proper equipment for me to be hugging you Alex," Jean-Phillipe says. "Because typically my hugs are merely disguises for gropes." Thus why he isn't a hugger, huh? Wait, does that reflect on Cluster?! Jean-Phillipe pulls his knees up a bit, leaning his forearms against them. "Charlie Cluster-7," he finally says, not looking at Alex. Alex Summers thinks about that for a moment. Then realizes that the Lady Fantomex hugged him. A lot. He eyes Jean-Phillipe for a moment and then asks. "What's Charlie Cluster-7?" Maybe he'd tell him, odds are he wouldn't, but he figured he'd ask anyways. "What they called me. Jean-Phillipe is a name /I/ choose for myself," Fantomex explains. "As is the codename Fantomex. That was the name that they gave me where I was trained," where he was made, but Jean-Phillipe cannot completely give up the misdirection. He does not explain his codename was Weapon XIII either. Always leaving things out, Cluster did that too. "It was what surprised me when you mentioned it the first time. No one outside of the organization knew about that name." Alex Summers says, "Well, then there's got to be something to this, don't you think? I had never heard of it until that girl told me her name was Cluster." Alex swings back around to lie down on his bed again, then rolls over onto his stomach so that he's still facing Fantomex. "There's no way I could know that, if what I experienced was just a normal dream, is there?" Jean-Phillipe groans at that, "The thought of me having split personalities, and one of them is a female that is flirting with my BFF, does not exactly please me Alex. Rather, it is embarrassing." He sighs dramatically at that. "Can I not just ignore this until it goes away?" Alex Summers shrugs. "Sure. Sure you could ignore it. But /you're/ not the one that's having his dreams invaded by a hot chick that looks similar in dress and appearance to my best friend. It's NOT going away. She even told me that she wants to see me again. Dude, you gotta help me with this!" A wince at that, "It is not my fault you are popular with the crazy ladies." Oooh, ouch. Then again, Jean-Phillipe does kinda look like he is pouting. "Fine, fine, I'll ask Mother about it when we go visit her next." He sighs dramatically at that again, as a proper Frenchman does. "Well, at least I am good looking no matter my gender." And scarily, he looks on the bright side of matters. Alex Summers has an incredulous look on his face. "Are you serious dude? That's all you gotta say? That you're relieved that you're good looking even as a chick?" He knows it was a joke, but now he's messing with Fantomex again. "Then I say we shoot over in E.V.A. tomorrow for a few hours and ask Mother about it. Sound like a plan?" "She does not expect me till next week earliest. And do you not have other things to worry about, such as Kenzie's bail hearing?" Tada! Avoidance! "Though it's nice to hear you obsess over me rather than the twitchy girl." Now, Fantomex is just teasing right back, how mean! Alex Summers snorts lightly. "I'm not obsessing over you. I just want a good night's sleep without having to worry about that chick hugging on me." There is no way in hell he's going to admit that he liked it. No way. Not going to feed his ego anymore than he already has. "But you're right. Next week it is. And I'm not obsessing over Kenzie. If something like that happened to you, I'd be the say way." "Note to self, get kidnapped and brain washed so Alex will pay all attention to me." Jean-Phillipe's teasing is outrageous! But he is then laughing. "I think I rather kidnap you and just take you to Paris for a good time. It sounds a lot more fun that way." Alex Summers smirks. "I'd be willing to let you kidnap me if we can go back to that place you took me the first time. The one with the French girls?" Bits of Jean-Phillipe are rubbing off on Alex after all. And Jean-Phillipe bursts into laughter, "Of course mon ami. I'll be sure to let Cluster know that too," he teases. Oh no...he knows how to take a joke too far. But he then offers Alex's pillow back, "You can have this back, but only if you do not beat me with it again." Alex Summers eyes Fantomex. "I make no promises, man." He takes the pillow back and lies back down, getting under the covers. "Good night, Jean-Phillipe." Even though Fantomex jokes alot, he has a way of making him feel better after talking. It's not long before Alex is asleep again. This time, he doesn't dream of Cluster.